Lived in Greymouth for two years and regularly walked the coastline. Could probably count the number of days when you would have got a fishing kayak out through the beach surf on one hand, and most of those were mid winter. There is a really nasty current that flows up the coast and it was common fo...

I'm heading to Nelson for work in mid-May and was wondering if it is worth bringing the kayak? I know that previous fishing trips to the sounds in winter have been fairly unsuccessful but what do people think it will be like in May?
Cheers
Dale

Be aware that some of the top campgrounds are very busy at that time of year. Kaiteri is normally booked a year in advance. Best to look at smaller more out of the way places. Cable Bay seems very popular for fishing. Okiwi Bay is a nice spot too. Also lots of smaller campgrounds in the Marlborough ...

I have one of the ladder rollers fitted to my square Thule racks. Works well so long as the rack is at the very back of the vehicle which won't be an issue on your ute. If I was doing it again I would use a self-centring roller as if you don't get the kayak perfectly straight on the flat roller or t...

Also worth looking at your vehicle manufacturers spec's. Most only recommend light weights because of the effect it can have on handling. For example my Land Rover Discovery, which can tow 3500kg, is only rated to 50kg on the factory roof rack (only 30kg when offroad). This as mentioned previously i...

Personal experience from seven years ago means I wouldn't trust their gear as far as I can throw it. Admittedly that was a long time ago and things may have changed, but once bitten. It was also for motorised items but the customer support for the faulty items was very poor. Just my opinion though. ...

I know that it is not kayak related but since there are some talented people on this forum I was hoping for some help. When we were camping recently one of the fibreglass tent poles split. It has not broken right through but instead split a third of the way through and about 60mm along the pole. Man...

Would it not just be easier to quietly make your way back to shore and seek medical help? Luckily the only hook I have ever put in to myself was a small but heavily weighted nymph while fly fishing on a windy day. Managed to embed it in the back of my head. Was a long walk back to the farm house but...

I would suggest that if you go out on a kayak keep well away from anyone fishing from the picket fence. Some of those guys don't take kindly to "outsiders". Be aware that salmon fishing is very hit and miss with some people going out year after year and catching nothing. Having said that there are a...

Unscientifically I tried it with 20lb braid and flouro then looped the end around the fence and pulled. It was the flouro that snapped first, knot was fine. If someone wants to give me a proper PR bobbin to do some comparison tests I'll do it :lol: but otherwise I'm happy with my cheap (well free as...

Yeah I have found the tension can be an issue particularly when trying to put 10lb braid on to 20lb flouro. Best to learn on heavier flouro first. An old fly tying trick for this is to put a loop of line around the leg of the bobbin to increase friction. That would obviously only work on the fly tyi...

I notice that the PR bobbins online all seem to be around the $50 mark. Personally I use a fly tying bobbin that I already had at home and it works well. These can be picked up for under $20 and then you just need a cotton reel to go on it. I definitely like the PR knot as it runs through the guides...

Thanks for that Rob. I thought that might have been the case. As someone who has been trying to work out what MNZ system we best fit in to for the last 8 months I totally understand. Unfortunately our operation is very much a square peg that won't fit in to the selection of round holes that MNZ offe...

I finally have a North Island holiday booked for the end of March and have purposefully booked two nights camping at Papa Aroha with the thought of going on a guided trip with Rob Fort. When I look up the website I see "under construction" on the guided trip pages. I remember a while back some talk ...

Awesome effort. I take it you are the guys on the Canterbury facebook page that were mentioning a west coast trip. Would love to fish down that way but the thought of big sharks has always put me off.
Cheers
Dale